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University of Oregon – Chemistry and Biochemistry

Our Goal: The “Mad Duck” Science outreach program was initiated in 2011 to address a growing deficit in local science education. In an era of reduced funding for science education at all levels, hands-on science education has been hit especially hard. Our goal is to provide a cohesive lab-based science education program for local students on days when school has been shortened or cancelled. We strive to coordinate UO faculty and graduate students, across multiple departments, with local educators to provide students with a unique scientific opportunity.

Current Efforts: Our program is rapidly expanding to include new labs, new faculty mentors, and increased participation from middle school students. Current efforts include:

Hosting lab-based immersion activities for local underserved middle school students on furlough days.

Providing advanced high school chemistry labs at the university using state-of-the-art equipment.

Fostering leadership and mentoring opportunities for graduate students who help develop and run the events.

As part of our goal of disseminating the hands-on, inquiry-based laboratory materials developed for this program, we continually update this website with current outreach information and the laboratory content of each activity.

Sponsors: Our outreach program would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors: